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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. craft — boats
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. field — for sport
  8. face — to confront
  9. court — of a king
  10. press — to push
  11. face — part of the head
  12. press — a publisher
  13. race — a contest
  14. field — a subject
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. race — humankind
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. press — newspapers
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. race — the arms race
  23. field — farmland
  24. jam — in traffic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com